diff --git a/tinygrad/engine/schedule.py b/tinygrad/engine/schedule.py
index d404babdf7..0e6fa01d64 100644
--- a/tinygrad/engine/schedule.py
+++ b/tinygrad/engine/schedule.py
@@ -323,9 +323,7 @@ def group_realizes(ctx:ScheduleContext, realizes:Dict[UOp, UOp]) -> List[List[UO
 
 # **** Schedule creation and BFS toposort
 
-def realize(ctx:Dict[UOp, UOp], b:UOp, to_store:UOp, base:UOp) -> None:
-  ctx[b] = to_store
-  return None
+def realize(ctx:Dict[UOp, UOp], b:UOp, to_store:UOp, base:UOp) -> None: return ctx.update([(b, to_store)])
 
 def realize_view(ctx:Dict[UOp, UOp], base:UOp, view:UOp, to_store:UOp, b:UOp) -> None:
   if to_store.op in {Ops.CONST, Ops.BIND}: return None
@@ -339,12 +337,14 @@ def realize_view(ctx:Dict[UOp, UOp], base:UOp, view:UOp, to_store:UOp, b:UOp) ->
   # otherwise safety check pads
   return None if (all(v.mask is None for v in st.views) or can_pad(base, ctx, set())) else realize(ctx, b, to_store, base)
 
-def fold_img_cast(ctx, xb:UOp, view:UOp, b:UOp, to_cast:UOp, **kwargs) -> Optional[UOp]:
+def fold_img_cast(ctx:Dict[UOp, UOp], xb:UOp, view:UOp, b:UOp, to_cast:UOp, **kwargs) -> Optional[UOp]:
   if not isinstance(xb.dtype, ImageDType) or b not in ctx or xb not in ctx or uval(to_cast).op in GroupOp.Meta: return None
   del ctx[b]
   return to_cast.view(unwrap(view.st))
 
 do_realize = PatternMatcher([
+  # always realize sinked ops
+  (UPat(Ops.SINK, name="sink"), lambda ctx,sink: ctx.update((x.buf_uop, x) for x in sink.src)),
   # always realize meta ops
   (UPatSrc({Ops.ASSIGN, Ops.CONTIGUOUS, *GroupOp.Meta}), realize),
   # realize before expand or unsafe pad ops
@@ -373,7 +373,6 @@ break_sched = PatternMatcher([
 @track_rewrites(named=True)
 def create_schedule_with_vars(outs:List[LazyBuffer]) -> Tuple[List[ScheduleItem], Dict[Variable, int]]:
   if len(outs:=dedup(x.base for x in outs if x.base.realized is None and x.base.op is not Ops.CONST)) == 0: return [], {}
-  for out in outs: out.forced_realize = True
   # create the big graph
   ctx = ScheduleContext()
   cache: Dict[LazyBuffer, UOp] = {}